A Long Island high school student is counting his blessings after a harrowing incident during basketball tryouts, wherein quick-acting coaches and subsequent medical care saved his life. Seventeen-year-old Francesco Allocca suffered a cardiac arrest on November 17 while trying out for the Locust Valley High School basketball team. As reported by NBC New York, Allocca was "turned very pale" and struggled to breathe before losing consciousness, recounted by teammate William Summers. Coaches and a school custodian, who volunteers as an EMT, sprang into action, delivering CPR and employing an automated external defibrillator (AED).
With the vital equipment stored just outside the gym, the staff was able to quickly return to try and save Allocca's life. "We all kind of fell into a role without thinking," Coach Andrew Siegel told NBC New York, emphasizing the instinctual response honed by their training. The teen was then transported to Glen Cove Hospital and later to Cohen Children's Medical Center, where doctors stabilized his condition and managed to restore his pulse—prior to his arrival.
This extraordinary story was punctuated on the eve of Thanksgiving, as Allocca reunited with the coaches and hospital staff who were instrumental in his survival. He expressed his overwhelming gratitude, admitting, "I'm extremely thankful and grateful that you guys were there and acted so quickly, and without you guys, I wouldn't be here," as per his statement obtained by ABC7 New York. His mother, Pia Allocca, echoed this sentiment, referring to her son's survival as nothing short of a miracle.
Reflecting on the incident, Dr. Kristen Turnow, superintendent of the Locust Valley Central School District, praised the adeptness of the coaches and emphasized the importance of regular training. "Training is only effective when it’s habitual," she said to NBC New York. The school district is now looking to up the ante on safety precautions, working to ensure AEDs are more accessible and upgrading communication devices according to Dr. Turnow's statement to ABC7 New York.
Despite being sidelined for the time being, with doctors continuing to investigate the cause of his cardiac event, Allocca was cleared to spend Thanksgiving at home and remains hopeful about eventually returning to basketball. "Obviously, I’m more thankful than I’ve ever been to be celebrating Thanksgiving, and it will be great to be celebrating with my family," Allocca shared with NBC New York.
